Public service workers in British Columbia continue to escalate their job action, with the latest development being the addition of jails to the growing list of sites affected by strikes.
The BC General Employees’ Union announced that all remaining unionized staff at adult correctional facilities throughout the province have joined the strike. This brings the total number of work sites impacted by picket lines to over 470, involving approximately 25,000 workers from 20 different ministries, Crown corporations, and agencies.
Union president Paul Finch expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s response, citing a “lack of urgency” in presenting a better contract offer as the reason for the escalation in strike actions.
Despite the ongoing strikes, B.C. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger assured the public that the pickets at correctional centres have not disrupted core services. She emphasized that corrections officers are considered essential services and that staffing levels at the correction centres are being maintained as required during this time.
The strike, now in its sixth week, has seen increased activities in the past week, including a march in Vancouver and a rally at the legislature as politicians reconvened for the fall session.
In addition to the BC General Employees’ Union, the Professional Employees Association, representing government workers like engineers, foresters, and geoscientists, has also intensified its job action by involving more than 1,000 staff from various ministries. Notable among those participating in the strikes are environmental protection officers, groundwater hydrologists, litigation lawyers, and mines inspectors.
While essential workers like hydrologists from B.C.’s River Forecast Centre and child and youth psychologists from the Ministry of Children and Family Development are exempt from the strikes, the job actions continue to impact a wide range of public services in the province.